Introducing Brian and Lindsay, the owners and visionary duo behind Terra Nova and Terra Vieja – two beautiful Yucca Valley properties. They have redefined the concept of immersive spaces by incorporating the unique Southern California landscape into their property designs.
The couple’s extensive travels and appreciation of the “little things” in properties they’ve visited inspired them to create short-term rentals with “premium amenities”. By pulling from inspiration and saving with Minoan, of course, Brian and Lindsay have brought their vision to life!
Q: How long have you been a short-term rental host?
A: We’re celebrating our second year as Airbnb hosts! Our first property, Terra Nova, went live on Airbnb in 2021. We launched our second property, Terra Vieja, 18 months later in January 2023.
Q: What inspired you to get into STR hosting?
A: Lindsay and I have been strongly influenced by our travels, both domestically and abroad. We’ve learned over the years that we’re drawn to unique experiences and beautiful spaces that help us to understand the “heart” of a place. Short-term rentals, more than hotels, have been the doorway through which we better understand a region, its characteristics, and its people. From a yurt on a couple’s forest property in Jasper National Park, Canada to the vineyards of the Douro Valley, Portugal, we’ve experienced so much of a place through homes found through short-term rental sites like Airbnb. Relatedly, we’ve always gravitated toward properties that provide access to nature and create a safe space for us to step away from our bustling tech jobs for a while.
We were compelled to document things we loved about these places - things like “seamless check-in”, “amazing shampoo”, and “view from the shower”.
It’s with these influences in mind that we decided to contribute our own offering to the world of unique design and travel. We sought out markets that offered both attractive investment options and had access to a national park along with other outdoor activities, and landed on Joshua Tree. The market has a lot of short-term rentals, so we looked diligently for a home that had unique characteristics, ultimately landing on a 5-acre property packed with wildlife, native plants, and our favorite part - unobstructed views of the Mojave desert. This became our first property, Terra Nova.
Q: How many short term rentals do you operate?
A: We operate two STRs both located in the Mojave desert near Joshua Tree National Park:
- Terra Nova: Our first STR: A two bedroom; two bathroom home on 5 acres overlooking the Mojave Desert.
- Terra Vieja: Our second STR: A two bedroom; one bathroom home located in the village of downtown Joshua Tree minutes away from Joshua Tree National Park’s East Entrance.
We are exploring what it might look like to add to our portfolio, whether that is through our own “Stay with Terra” brand, or real estate investments with partners.
Q: What are your biggest pain points as an STR owner?
A: Our market hasn’t yet caught up with the efficiency in systems & operations that we’re used to using in our professional world, and most of the communication, collaboration, and project management with vendors, partners, and contractors is very manual.
Managing from afar is also challenging – things like quality checks and inventory management are a little clunky for us. We’re constantly looking for ways to streamline our processes and empower the individuals on our teams to serve in the best interest of the business and guest experience.
Q: How have you tried to differentiate your properties from other STRs - how do you make them stand out?
A: We design our homes and create spaces that guests can use to reconnect with themselves and the world around them. A few things that both properties have that helps bring this feeling to life:
Outdoor spaces: We prioritize properties with significant outdoor space, and then we create unique “rooms” that give guests lots to do. A few spaces that guests love: outdoor movie theater, fire pit, plunge pool, yoga deck, olive garden dining grove, covered patio.
Landscaping: Once we have our outdoor spaces dialed in, we fill them with lush greenery. We leverage the local flora as best as we can, adding in other native plants and cacti/trees that we know we will do well in the area. Our go-tos include Palo Verde trees which bloom beautiful yellow flowers in the spring, and fence posts cacti which are one of our favorite drought tolerant species of cactus.
Premium amenities: This may seem counterintuitive to the emphasis on the outdoors, but we think that helping guests reconnect with themselves starts with their physical health & wellness. Luxury bedding and natural scents promote quality sleep, while local coffee and modern kitchen appliances ensure guests can cook healthy meals together.
Q: What's your favorite thing about being an STR host?
A: Without a doubt it’s the feedback we get from guests. Seeing photos of a family swimming in the pool, watching a movie under the stars, or practicing meditation on our yoga deck lights us up. We had a guest thank us for creating a space where they felt they could “breathe” for the first time in months. This is what it’s all about for us. If we can improve the quality of our guests' lives, or give them space to enjoy life and become better versions of themselves, then we will in some small way have made the world a better place :)
Here is a note from a recent guest:
Q: What is the #1 most important thing for STR hosts to get right, in your opinion?
A: The guest experience is our north star, and everything we do leads back to the question “is this a good experience for our guests?” This includes everything from which amenities to stock, to property listing clarity, to messaging.
If we had to pick just one, we’d say to ensure that you’re as clear and accurate as possible about what a guest’s experience will be, meet and then surpass that.
There’s a saying that goes “Happiness = reality - expectation”. Applied to the short term rental world, I think it’s on STR hosts to be crystal clear on what your property offers, then over deliver on that “reality”. There are many different ways STR hosts can approach delivering appropriate expectations to guests:
- factual + detailed property amenities
- accurate photo descriptions
- proper welcome message
Guest expectations start to develop from the moment they see your listing, so when your guests arrive, the property must offer everything you said it would + look exactly like the photos of the property. Bonus points for making the property look even better than photos.
Ultimately travelers want to make sure their expectations are met, if not exceeded, nail the expectations the guest has, surpass those, and you’re on your way to many 5 star reviews.
Q: What products do your guests love the most?
A: The guests enjoy comfortable beds, soft sheets, ample pillows, and plush towels.
Q: What are your favorite Minoan brands?
Our Casper mattresses & Parachute bedding. Our guests rave about how comfortable our beds are!
Q: How has Minoan helped you with your short term rentals?
A: In the past two years we’ve put in 26 orders with Minoan saving us close to $3,000. These savings have allowed us to purchase more high end products for our homes, and have also been reinvested into upgrades for our properties - for example, a portion of our savings is going toward designing and building an outdoor spa area at our Terra Vieja property.
Q: What's one thing you know now that you wished you knew when you first started setting up your STRs?
A: Start small, get your wins, and build from there.
Each amenity that you add to your property involves service, maintenance, financial reserves, and ongoing operations, and if anything slips it could ruin a guest experience. When we first launched Terra Nova, we bit off more than we could chew launching a pool, hot tub, fire pit, outdoor movie theater, and BBQ dining area all at once.
While each of these features improved guest demand, they also added complexity, operational overhead, and required additional savings - for example our hot tub heater broke in the middle of winter, and required bespoke parts from Canada to repair.
All STRs need repairs & maintenance, so make sure you’re over prepared with reserve savings and leave some margin for error – especially in the beginning when it’s critical to get things right for your first guests.
Q: Any other tips for your fellow hosts?
A: Leverage a PMS! We use Guesty, but we’ve also heard great things about Lodgify. Using a PMS allows you to push your listing to multiple channels (Airbnb, Expedia, Booking.com) all while having a synced calendar. By opening up to the channels outside of Airbnb, we’ve been able to materially increase our occupancy by opening up to new channels and travelers on alternative platforms to Airbnb.
